Gaming is Bad… Says Australian Study

Gaming Is Bad… Says Australian Report But Is It Really?

 Yes that’s right, gaming is bad. Not only that, but according to this Australian report, the link between video games and violence is, “greater than the connection between smoking and lung cancer.” So I guess we should quit gaming and take up smoking in groups, just so we can keep an eye on one another to stop any violent out bursts. Saying that, it may just turn into a battle royale.

 Ten News even went as far as to report that, “The explosion in youth crimes in inextricably linked to violent video games.” So science has proved that video games cause violence in children. Or, at least that’s what the ACCM (Australian Council on Children and the Media) say. The ACCM is the same group that responded to the point that the average age of gamers in Australia is 30, by saying, “So what?”

“Psychologists say regular exposure to games like these  (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2) actually rewires a child’s brain, making them more amenable to violence,” the report adds. “Such is the level of concern now, the world’s leading researchers have been summoned to Sydney for a conference later this month.”

 Australia’s fear of games and gamers is increasing it seems. The government is using gaming as a scapegoat for crime, especially youth crime.  The report warns that stabbings and other violent crimes are directly linked to games. This report, on top of Michael Atkinson’s (South Australian Attorney General) statement that, “I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me.” Is giving gaming a bad reputation that it doesn’t deserve.

 Australians aside, is gaming really all that bad? Lets look at both sides of the argument.

 Lets start with the, “video games cause violence” argument. Yes, video games are violent, but violence in video games is better than violence in real life. Video games allow a venting of anger and frustration in a controlled, safe environment. 

 ”But video games cause the anger and frustration. Not only that but they cause obesity and obsessiveness.” Saying video games cause the anger and frustration is like saying being born causes death. It may be a part of it, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of other factors that can influence it as well.  Gaming doesn’t cause obesity, bad parenting and laziness cause obesity. If the parents motivated their kids to get up and do something, they might not spend so long playing games. Failing that, stop buying fatty snacks, sugary drinks and take aways for your child to gorge on. Less exercise means less calories needed. Do the math. You don’t need to add wood to a fire that isn’t lit.